Easy Penne Pasta Bake
This penne pasta bake is a quick easy dinner made with a flavorful and delicious marinara meat sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. Comfort food at its finest!
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 474kcal
Equipment
- 9x13 baking dish
- large pot
- large bowl
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon oil or butter, to grease the baking dish
- 8 ounce penne pasta, uncooked
- 1 lbs ground beef
- ½ green pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ medium onion, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 24 ounce jar of Italian sausage pasta sauce
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Important Note: Most package instructions for penne pasta provide a cooking time that results in al dente pasta.
- Finely chop ½ the green bell pepper, ½ of the onion, and the 2 garlic cloves.
- In a large skillet, add the 1 lb of ground beef, chopped green pepper, chopped onion, and chopped garlic cloves.
- Cook over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Set aside and don't drain.Expert Tip: There is a lot of flavor in this mixture, so don't drain the fat after you finish browning the meat.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain the noodles and put them in a large bowl.
- Add the cooked beef mixture, the entire jar of pasta sauce, 2 beaten eggs, 1½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Stir until well combined.
- Add the mixture in the bowl to a greased 13 x 9 baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta and sauce mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Noodles: 8 ounces of uncooked penne pasta will yield about 3 cups of cooked pasta. 8 ounces of uncooked penne pasta is half a box.
- Pasta Sauce: You can use whatever marinara sauce you want. I typically make my own homemade spaghetti sauce but when I'm in a hurry, I love using Classico Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce with peppers and onions.
- Meat Substitutions: I've made this with both ground turkey, ground chicken, and Italian style ground beef. The Italian ground beef adds a ton of flavor. You can also use a plant base meat substitute. It adds a ton of flavor!
Nutrition
Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 678mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 644IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 3mg